Means for releasably holding sheets in stack formation



A. KIPNIS April 27, 1965 MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SHEETS IN STACK FORMATION Filed Dec. 3, 1962 ABRAHAM KlPNlS w ATTOR EY United States Patent Chico 3,18%,493 MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HGLDHIG SETS IN STACK FORMATION Abraham Kipnis, 10836 64th Road, Forest Hills 75, Nit. Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 241,694 2 Claims. (Cl. 21151) holder with means to support the sheets in an inclining plane and vertically in an arcuate or curved condition to facilitate removal of individual sheets.

Further advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a top view with a sheet retaining arm shown in full lines in raised position to permit loading of the sheets in the holder and in dotted lines in sheet retaining position;

FIGURE 2 is a front view; and

FEGURE 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The embodiment of the invention comprises a U-shaped stand including a rear wall 4 having flanges 5 at the opposite side extending from the front face of said wall. The length of the flanges 5 are less than the height of the rear wall 4 with the upper ends of the flanges flush with the top edge of the rear wall and the lower ends of the flanges spaced from the bottom edge of the rear wall, as at 6 in FIGURE 2. The rear face of the rear wall 4 is reinforced by ribs 7 with a horizontal rib 8 at the bottom edge to form a supporting base, as shown in FIGURE 3. The rear wall 4 is provided with an opening 9 to reduce the amount of material required and the weight of the stand, as shown in FIGURE 3.

in the present illustration of the invention, the bottom wall of the U-shaped stand is formed by two strips 10 connected at one end to and inclining from the front face of the side portions of the rear wall and each strip being provided with a series of serrations 11 to engage and separate the bottom edges of a plurality of sheets s, as shown in FIGURE 3. It is to be understood that the bottom wall of the U-shaped stand could be a single wail extending the width of the rear wall 4, but it is preferable to use the two strips 14) to reduce the cost of material and the weight of the stand.

The front wall of the U-shaped stand comprises an arrow-head shaped upper portion 12 and a shank shaped lower portion 13 forming horizontal shoulders 14 which are connected to the upper ends of the bottom wall strips it as shown in FIGURE 2, with the base angles of the portion 12 provided with projections 15 at the outer side edges of the strips it). The upper portion 12 is illustrated as provided with an opening 16 to reduce the cost of material and the weight of the stand.

li hten-ted Apr. 2?, 1965 The sheets s are urged against the rear wall 4 and the flanges 5 and releasably retained in upright position by an arm 17 having a reduced end portion 18 pivotally supported between spaced cars 19 arranged on the apex end of the front wall portion 12 by a pin 2% fixed at the ends in said ears 1% and the intermediate portion of the pin being loosely engaged in the reduced portion 18. The reduced portion 18 is provided with a projection 21 extending in the plane of the arm 17 to engage the outer face of the front Wall portion 12 in the raised position of the arm 17 and limit the movement of the arm 17 away from the sheets s, as shown in full lines.

The end of the arm 17 opposite the reduced end portion 18 is provided with a weight 22 embedded in the arm 17 to urge said end of the arm toward the sheets s after the arm is moved elf-center toward the sheets and retain the sheets in upright position. it is preferred to construct the stand of plastic material and the weight 22 is embedded in the arm 17 during the molding of said arm.

The front wall 12, 13 is of less height than the rear wall 4, so that the weighted end of the arm 17 will engage an intermediate portion of the front sheet and cause the upper portions of the sheets to fan outwardly from the rear wall 4, as shown in FIGURE 3.

in use, the arm 17 is moved to a position away from the rear wall 4 with the stop 21 abutting the front face of the front wall portion 12 to permit loading a stack of sheets or a pack of paper napkins between the rear and front walls with the lower edges of the sheets or napkins engaging the serrations 11. After the stand has been loaded, the arm 17 is moved to engage the weighted end of said arm with the front sheet, so that the stack or pack is retained in upright position with the sheets assuming an arcuate formation in a vertical plane under the guidance of the flanges 5 of the rear wall and the upper and lower edge portions of the sheets s fanning outwardly from the rear wall under the influence of the serrations 11 and the weighted end of the arm 17, whereby individual sheets are readily removed without disturbing the remaining sheets, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. The inclining bottom strips 10 will present the upper edges of the sheets s in stepped relation with the upper edge of the front sheet in a higher horizontal plane than the succeeding sheets to facilitate removal of said sheet.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In means for releasably holding paper napkins in stack formation, a U-shaped stand comprising a rear wall, a front wall and a bottom wall inclining from the rear wall to the front wall and arranged to support the paper napkins in stack formation, the width of each of the rear, front and bottom walls being less than the width of the paper napkins, and an arm pivotally mounted at one end on the front wall and the opposite end adapted to engage an intermediate portion of the front paper napkin of the stack of paper napkins and releasably retain the paper napkins against the rear wall, said intermediate ortion engaged by the arm adapted to be nearer to the upper edge of said front paper napkin to cause the upper edges of the paper napkins to fan outwardly from the rear wall.

2. Means for releasably holding paper napkins in stack formation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear wall is provided with flanges at the opposite side edges extending from the front face of said rear wall, and the References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/04 Cain 2/13' Walker 12916 Miller' 211-51 Steinmeyer 12916 Buckingham 2l153 Kurtz 129-46 Singer 211- 50 Bergman 21151 X Fraser.

Terry.

Thomas 21151 X Simmonds 22032 CLAUDE A. L'E ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING PAPER NAPKINS IN STACK FORMATION, A U-SHAPED STAND COMPRISING A REAR WALL, A FRONT WALL AND A BOTTOM WALL INCLINING FROM THE REAR WALL TO THE FRONT WALL AND ARRANGED TO SUPPORT THE PAPER NAPKINS IN STACK FORMATION, THE WIDTH OF EACH OF THE REAR, FRONT AND BOTTOM WALLS BEING LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE PAPER NAPKINS, AND AN ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END ON THE FRONT WALL AND THE OPPOSITE END ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE FRONT PAPER NAPKIN OF THE STACK OF PAPER NAPKINS AND RELEASABLY RETAIN THE PAPER NAPKIN AGAINST THE REAR WALL, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION ENGAGED BY THE ARM ADAPTED TO BE NEARER TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PATER NAPKIN TO CAUSE THE UPPER EDGES OF THE PAPER NAPKINS TO FAN OUTWARDLY FROM THE REAR WALL. 